Kuromorimine Girls Academy
Kuromorimine Girls Academy (黒森峰女学院) is one of the schools in Girls und Panzer. The school operates German World War II tanks, some examples of which are the Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.J, Panther Ausf. G, Tiger I, Tiger II (Königstiger/King Tiger), Jagdtiger, Jagdpanther, Jagdpanzer IVs, Elefant (Ferdinand) and an experimental tank, the Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus. The school is believed to have the second largest tank arsenal, just behind Saunders University High School. Overview Kuromorimine is based in Kumamoto City. However, as their school ship is too large to dock at any of the ports in Kumamoto Prefecture, they have to dock at another location elsewhere. Kuromorimine is the most well-known and respected school in the high school Sensha-dō league, a reputation gained by their excellent standard of Sensha-dō. The school adheres to the generations-old doctrine of the Nishizumi-style, which, backed by a large arsenal of powerful tanks, ensures it is recognised as the strongest and most prestigious of the Sensha-dō schools. As a result, the school is highly focused around Sensha-dō, to the point where the Sensha-dō team is held in adoration by the other students. This emphasis creates a school atmosphere that places high significance in the principles of justice, law-abiding conduct, persistence and determination. However, it is also the strict and rigid doctrines of the Nishizumi-style that translate into the classroom, creating an exacting, punitive and high pressure environment amongst the students that has only recently begun to change. Although the school is universally respected for its strength, it is disliked by many of the other high schools for its rigid victory-orientated style and distinct lack of moralistic concessions, which ultimately culminated with the controversy of Miho Nishizumi's actions during the 62nd National High School Sensha-dō Tournament. Uniform The regular Kuromorimine uniform consists of a featureless grey jacket with a black collar and skirt. The school insignia is displayed on the left lapel of the collar. There is also a dark blazer that may be worn over the jacket. The Sensha-dō uniform consists of a dark red shirt and matching skirt, as along with a black jacket and side cap with a matching red trim. Tactics Kuromorimine utilises the teachings of the Nishizumi-style, which are closely related to the Blitzkrieg doctrine. The school makes use of large numbers of heavy tanks and assault guns, according to its strategy of superior firepower and armour. Their tactics are characterised by their tight formations and aggressive frontal assaults. Their fire control is known to be well coordinated and very accurate. The students are reputed to almost never retreat. Unfortunately, these strengths resulted in a number of distinct weaknesses due to the overspecialisation of their overall strategy: Kuromorimine lack tactical flexibility and rely heavily on coordinated team effort. Tanks that are inadvertently separated from the main force or engaged in multiple independent skirmishes tend not to last long. After the 63rd National High School Sensha-dō Tournament, post-match reviews of the battle against Ooarai Girls Academy led to a reformation of Kuromorimine tactics. Based off analysis of their more successful moments in the match, Kuromorimine doctrine shifted to focus on manoeuvre warfare, and included flanking, mobile repositioning and swift breakthroughs, closer in line to the Blitzkrieg practices of early-WWII. The appropriate tactical decisions, such as firing for effect were recognised as part of the style, whilst less-reliable practices, such as the over-reliance on armour protection, were phased out. Background The Nishizumi school is ancient, dating as far back as horseback archers in 1754. When archery became obsolete, they converted to horseback firearms. This combined with another tradition lead to a female focused school of combat concerning the use of guns and Naginata while on horseback. When Japan modernised the school was incorporated into the government military. And when tanks were first introduced, the Nishizumi school was thus the first in the country to gain access to tanks. Japanese Sensha-dō was started there as a result. They have strong links with Germany; in the medieval times there was a deliberate attempt by the Nishizumi school to learn Prussian Calvary tactics, managing to establish some diplomatic friendship with Prussians. But at the outbreak of WW1 Japan allied with England, so they had to break diplomatic relations. Nonetheless there were several skirmishes with Prussian colonies near Japan during the war, and this led to Prussian POWs. Some of these POWs ended up staying in Japan instead of going home, and many of them were guests at the Nishizumi School because of past ties and friendly history. This led to social networking with their relatives, some of them obtaining high level positions in the German government and heavy industry, eventually resulting in Kuromorimine Academy being set up in Japan. After WW1 ended, a lot of the military's leftover tanks were sold. The Nishizumi house purchased a lot of them and subsequently became a true tank powerhouse of the nation. In the closing stages of WW2, amidst the great confusion at the time, large quantities of rare and even experimental military hardware in Germany ended up being shipped to Kuromorimine for safe keeping. 62nd National High School Sensha-Dō Tournament The year before Miho Nishizumi transferred into Ooarai, she commanded the Kuromorimine flag tank in the finals against Pravda Girls High School. Up until that moment, Kuromorimine had won the previous nine consecutive tournaments and appeared poised to claim a tenth, a feat unheard of in Sensha-dō history. However, during the match, a Kuromorimine Panzer III escorting the flag tank slipped off a cliff and into a river. Miho Nishizumi abandoned her post and saved the lives of the stricken crew, but in her absence the flag tank was attacked and destroyed by Pravda, which resulted in her losing the match for her team and breaking Kuromorimine's nine-year-long winning streak. The school subsequently suffered a severe morale backlash - the team lost some of its best members due to match-related bullying forcing many members to quit or transfer out. The events of the match also had a profound effect on the Sensha-dō community as a whole, the discussion and debate of which kept Kuromorimine under the spotlight for a long time. It took a great effort from Maho Nishizumi to raise school morale back up to its previous levels in time to begin training for the next year's tournament. Against Chi-Ha-Tan The following year, in the 63rd National High School Sensha-Dō Tournament, Kuromorimine drew slot number 13 and faced Chi-Ha-Tan Academy as their first opponents. They were shown to have inflicted an overwhelming victory and advanced to the second round without incident. Against Jatkosota Kuromorimine's second round opponent was Jatkosota High School. The much anticipated match didn't fail to disappoint the spectators, but Jatkosota's material and environmental disadvantage made their defeat inevitable, and after a fierce fight, Kuromorimine proceeded on to the semi-finals. Against St. Gloriana In the semi-finals, Kuromorimine faced St. Gloriana Girls College. Kuromorimine used their superior range to inflict damage on their opponents early in the match. The Tiger I flag tank took up position atop a hill while the main forces swept around the base of the hill to hit St. Gloriana's flanks. One of the flanking forces was completely destroyed and Darjeeling engaged Maho Nishizumi in a flag tank duel. However, Kuromorimine's main force were able to destroy their opposing counterparts and reinforce the Tiger I, attacking the Churchill VII as a group and eliminating it. Against Ooarai After defeating Chi-Ha-Tan Academy, Jatkosota High School, and St. Gloriana Girls College in the previous rounds, Kuromorimine competed in the finals and were the favourites to win the competition. Kuromorimine Girls Academy was the final opponent of Ooarai Girls Academy in the most recent national Sensha-dō tournament. Kuromorimine's rapid offensive initially caught Ooarai on the back-foot and knocked out their Type 3 Chi-Nu, however, the match went downhill from there. Following an unsuccessful chase, a fierce yet ultimately futile uphill assault, a disastrous series of urban engagements and an ultimately catastrophic isolation of the flag tank from its supporting elements, Kuromorimine narrowly lost the match despite having better experience, training, equipment and a greater than two-to-one numerical advantage over their opponents. Out of 20 tanks fielded, more than half of them were disabled, including some of their heaviest and most powerful vehicles, such as the Elefant, Jagdtiger and even their prized Maus. Notable amongst the Kuromorimine losses and failings was the Jagdpanther, which had its tracks blown off twice within the span of five minutes by Turtle Team, a PzKpfw. V Panther, whose poor situational awareness allowed the Hetzer to arrive within point blank range and throw the right flank into disarray, the PzKpfw. III, which was knocked out after arrogantly weaving into the open, and the PzKpfw.VIII Maus, which was literally dog-piled by Ooarai's vehicles and humiliated by the "light tank" of Duck Team. Through the use of smokescreens, decoys, diversions, superior use of terrain and finally martyrish blockade, Ooarai scattered the Kuromorimine forces and isolated their flag tank within an encosed building complex. After an intense flag tank duel between Miho Nishizumi's Panzerkampfwagen IV and Maho Nishizumi's Tiger I Kuromorimine was eventually defeated. Kuromorimine fielded 20 tanks: one PzKpfw. VI Ausf.E "Tiger" (flag tank), two PzKpfw. VI Ausf.B "Tiger II", six PzKpfw. V Ausf.G "Panther", six (Sd.Kfz. 162/1) Jagdpanzer IV/70 "Guderian-Ente", one PzKpfw. III Ausf.J, one (Sd.Kfz. 184) Panzerjäger Tiger P. "Ferdinand/Elefant", one PzKpfw. VIII "Maus", one Jagdpanzer VI "Jagdtiger" and one (Sd.Kfz. 173) Jagdpanzer V "Jagdpanther". In Girls und Panzer der Film Kuromorimine was the first school to arrive in support of Ooarai in the match against the All-Stars University Team. The school contributed a total of two heavy tanks and two medium tanks: A PzKpfw. VI Tiger I commanded by Maho Nishizumi, a PzKpfw. VI B Tiger II commanded by Erika Itsumi and two PzKpfw. V Panthers, commanded by Koume Akaboshi and the Jagdpanther Commander respectively. These tanks were initially attached to Team Sunflower, with Maho Nishizumi in command. After claiming the high ground upon "Hill 203", Team Sunflower, including Kuromorimine's tanks, were surrounded and forced off the hilltop by artillery fire. Both Kuromorimine Panther tanks were immobilised during the attack. After relocating to the theme park, Kuromorimine's remaining tanks fought defensively at the main entrance alongside Katyusha in her T-34/85. After determining the number of enemy tanks, they initiated a surprise counterattack that all but destroyed the All-Stars University Team fixing force. The Kuromorimine tanks were amongst those that attempted to relieve the encircled elements of the Ooarai Compound Team at the amphitheatre. However, Alice Shimada had anticipated their entry and positioned tanks that prevented them from interfering with the encircling forces. However, once the formation was broken by Rabbit Team, Kuromorimine was in an ideal position to suppress the university tanks and allow the rest of the team to regroup without being closely pursued. Erika Itsumi is later observed fighting alongside the remaining heavy tanks of Ooarai, Pravda and St. Gloriana high schools. Using a slipstream from the over-charged Porsche-Tiger, the joint taskforce chased down the Bermuda Trio, succeeding in knocking out Rumi's Pershing before they themselves were eliminated. Maho Nishizumi linked up with Anglerfish Team in the central plaza in time for a final showdown against Alice and the Bermuda Trio. Maho worked with Miho in a bait-and-switch to defeat Azumi. Maho then lured Megumi into a collision with the swinging boat ride, coming about and immobilising the Pershing before they could recover. After a climatic struggle through the plaza, Maho, at Miho's order, gave her tank a "push" that allowed them to close to certain-kill ranges and secure the shot. Out of sixty tanks fielded in the battle, the Tiger I was the only tank left standing at the end. In Ribbon Warrior Kuromorimine joined the Tankathlon craze, but initially had a hard time finding opponents. When Shizuka performed reconnaissance on Kuromorimine's territory it was discovered that Kuromorimine had reformed its strategies and culture in its Sensha-do club. After their defeat at the hands of Ooarai they had changed their tactics from marching firepower and superior armor to maneuver warfare, Maho claiming that it was the true Nishizumi Style. After trainings Kuromorimine conducts Post-Training-Non-Alcoholic Beer Festivals, in a similar style to Anzio Girls High School, an action that relieved the tense school atmosphere and helped the rest of the club familiarize themselves with each other and their commanders. In Das Finale During the events for the Winter Continuous Track Cup; Maho is leaving Kuromorimine for going to college at Niedersächsische Universität in Germany thus making Erika the commander of Kuromorimine. During a live chat with Maho; Erika expresses worry about being the new commander but Maho tells Erika not to worry about the results of her leadership but follow her own path in sensha-do. Members Kuromorimine Girls Academy has several students of major note. 'Miho Nishizumi' The main protagonist of Girls und Panzer and a vice-commander of the Kuromorimine Girls Academy Sensha-dō team during 62nd National High School Sensha-dō Tournament who transferred to Ooarai Girls Academy taking the blame for their defeat against Pravda during the Tournament finals. 'Maho Nishizumi' The overall commander of the Kuromorimine Girls Academy Sensha-dō team during 62nd and 63d National High School Sensha-dō Tournaments. She is the older sister of Miho and a driving force behind her sister's revived love of tanks. Despite sometimes appearing cold and aloof, Maho hopes Miho can find her own way of tankery, and is pleased when she is able to do so. Maho is impressed with how her little sister can have fun doing something that their entire family once viewed as completely serious. 'Erika Itsumi' :Main Article Erika Itsumi The vice-commander of the Kuromorimine Girls Academy Sensha-dō team during 63d National High School Sensha-dō Tournament and the overall commander during Commemorative Cup in Oarai and 41st Winter Continuous Track Cup. She prides victory above all else and does not hesitate to berate Miho and her friends, believing Sensha-dō is more than "just a game." She is devoted to her commander and seeks to emulate Maho's style for herself. 'Koume Akaboshi' A Kuromorimine student implied to be a commander to either a Tiger II or a Panther tank. She has a high opinion of her superiors and also has a good understanding of Maho Nishizumi's more gentle and caring side. Koume was the driver of the PzKpw. III that plunged into the river during the finals of the 62nd National High School Sensha-dō Tournament. Her life was subsequently saved by Miho Nishizumi, at the expense of the match. A full year later, Koume meets Miho before the finals to thank her. 'Sheska' A student who recently transferred in from a school in Germany. She firmly believes that Senshado is all about teamwork, where everyone trusts each other and works together to become one cohesive unit. She held a grudge against Emi Nakasuga for breaking up her old school's team, until the two reconciled when they accidentally locked themselves inside a garage. Secondary Members The Four Tank Commanders of Kuromorimine Maus Commander (Mauko) The commander of Kuromorimine's Maus. Operating the tank for the first time in the finals against Ooarai, she suffered a humiliating experience when, amidst being swarmed by five Ooarai tanks, Duck Team's 'light tank' drove on top of their engine deck and jammed their turret so they couldn't return fire. She has been affectionately named "Maus Girl" by fans. Panzer III Commander (Sangou) The commander of Kuromorimine's Panzer III scout. She was heavily subdued due to her own folly in the final match. Arrogantly taunting Ooarai, she swerved tantalisingly into the open, but misjudged Ooarai's gunnery and was immediately taken out. Given the fan name "Three Girl" after her tank model. Jagdpanther Commander (Ritaiko) A Kuromorimine commander who commanded a Jagdpanther during the match against Ooarai. Whilst chasing after Ooarai, the Jagdpanther was ambushed by the Hetzer and had its tracks blown off. After repairs, the Jagdpanther was just about to catch up to the action when the Heter ambushed it and destroyed its tracks again. She is nicknamed "Track Girl" by fans as she spent most of the match repairing her tracks. Panther Commander (Geshiko) The commander of a Kuromorimine Panther who panicked in the match against Ooarai in response to Ooarai's Hetzer appearing right beside her tank. Her fan name is "Kicking Girl" because of the panicked kicking motion she made on her gunner when she saw the Hetzer. Other Minor Members Ren Maaru She is ex-vice commander of Kuromorimine before being replaced by Miho Nishizumi. Despite the replacement, she prefer to be a regular member instead, and is positioned as a StuG III gunner. She's one of the best gunner of Kuromorimine. Ren become Team Nibelungen's gunner in the Cauldron. Leila Rou Leila is Erika Itsumi's friend from elementary school. She fought alongside Erika Itsumi in a Panzer II during the duel against Miho Nishizumi for vice-commander position. Natsumi Natsumi is one of senior members of Kuromorimine, the same class as Maho and Ren. While she's benched during Kuromorimine vs Jatkosota exhibition match, she able to see that Jatkosota will cause much trouble to Kuromorimine despite lacking in overall tank strength. Natsumi become Team Nibelungen's driver in the Cauldron. Bauer Bauer is one of Kuromorimine student, she can be distinguished by wearing a medical eye-patch. She commanded a Panther during the Kuromorimine vs Jatkosota exhibition match under the designation Rheinland 7, she was nearly caught by the flood caused by Jatkosota only to be destroyed soon after. She was part of Schwarzwald Kampfgruppe Tankathlon team. Vehicles operated Aircraft *Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache *Focke-Wulf Fw-189 *LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin Tanks *PzKpfw.II Ausf.F (Privately owned by Nishizumi family) (Der Film) *PzKpfw 35(t) (Phase. Erika) *PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf.B/C (Phase. Erika) *PzKpfw.III Ausf.J *PzKpfw.IV Ausf.D (Privately owned by Nishizumi family) (Little Army) *PzKpfw.V Ausf.G "Panther" *PzKpfw.VI Ausf E "Tiger" *PzKpfw.VI Ausf.B "Tiger II" (Serien Turm) *PzKpfw.VI Ausf.B "Tiger II" (Porsche Turm) (Phase Erika) *PzKpfw.VIII "Maus" *Jagdpanzer 38(t) "Hetzer" (Gekkan Senshado Magazine) *(Sd.Kfz.162/1) Jagdpanzer IV/70(V) "Guderian Ente" *(Sd.Kfz.173) Jagdpanzer V "Jagdpanther" *(Sd.Kfz.184) Panzerjäger Tiger(P) "Ferdinand/Elefant" *(Sd.Kfz.186) Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B / Jagdpanzer VI "Jagdtiger" *Sturmgeschütz III Ausf.F (Little Army Manga) Non-fighting vehicles *Krupp L2H143 *Sd.Kfz.2 Kettenkrad *Simca 5 *Volkswagen Type 82 "Kübelwagen" *Kugelpanzer Theme Music *Panzerlied *Erika Trivia *The only German tanks to have not been on the KMM so far are the Panzer IV Ausf.D, F2, H, and the StuG III Ausf.F(based on the anime). **They are from Ooarai Girls Academy. **The Panzer 38(t) and the Hetzer is the only tank to have been used by both sides. *"Kuromorimine" means "Black Forest Peak". Unlike other schools like Pravda, Kuromorimine's name is not rendered in the language of the country on which it is based. The German translation of Kuromorimine would be Schwarzwaldspitze or Schwarzwaldgipfel, which is also the school's name in the german dub. **The fact that Kuromorimine isn't translated is because, unlike others schools, KMM is a native Japanese school that took inspiration of Germany later while every others school were founded by foreigners. *The name comes from the Black Forest mountain range in southwestern Germany, particularly in the state of Baden-Württemberg. *Its logo is an Iron Cross with the kanji for "Kuromorimine" (黒森峰) superimposed on top of it. **The Iron Cross is also the award to some of the Top scoring tank aces of all time, like Michael Wittmann, and Otto Carius. **During WWII, the German tanks and vehicles are painted with the simplified version of the Iron Cross called the Balkenkreuz (except during the invasion of Poland in Septemeber 1939 where they were painted with white crosses which symbolized Dantzig (Gdańsk today). These were changed to avoid rendering it by the enemy as a target). After the war they returned the use of the original Iron Cross design. ***In accordance to German laws, the simplified cross was not to be shown and the post-war cross are to be used instead. *The school's official name in English is Black Forest Peak Girls' Academy. *Their school battle songs, Erika and Panzerlied, are German WWII songs. *The academy ship is based on and named after the Graf Zeppelin, a German aircraft carrier of World War II which was actually never completed. *According to Darjeeling, Kuromorimine has other light tanks that weren't seen in the final match, which was consistent with her statement that Kuromorimine was expecting to fight Pravda for the finals, thus explaining the deciscion to field their heavy tanks as counter. *Some side characters of Kuromorimine have a more prominent role in Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu!. **The commanders of the Panther, Jagdpanther, Panzer III and Maus continually reminisce about their failures during the finals. Throughout the course of the manga series they are regularly reminded about being embarrassed by either the Hetzer, Type 89B, or, in the case of the Panzer III Commander: not sticking close enough to the Maus. This is often done by the hands of the Ooarai Student Council. *The maneuver warfare which they used in Ribbon Warrior is a reference to the beginning of World War II where the Germans used this kind of tactic and called it Blitzkrieg. *Kuromorimine's "Post-training non-alcoholic Beer Festival" bears a striking resemblance to the Oktoberfest with the traditional dirndl and abundance of food and beer (in this case non-alcoholic). *So far only four schools have been able to knock out Kuromorimine tanks during official matches: **St. Gloriana Girls College: 3 tanks in an official match **Jatkosota High School: 3 tanks in an official match, and 6 tanks in a friendly match **Ooarai Girls Academy: 11 tanks in an official match **Pravda Girls High School Gallery Category:Schools Category:Kuromorimine Girls' High School Category:Sensha-dō Teams